After making a strong impression on the Toronto Maple Leafs, defenseman Nick Blankenburg is expected to sign a contract.
According to The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel, there is now flexibility for Toronto to sign Blankenburg to a new contract.
“The Leafs are expected to sign right-shooting defenseman Nick Blankenburg, who is currently playing on a professional tryout, to a contract, according to sources with knowledge of the team’s plans who were not permitted to speak publicly about a move that is not yet finalized,” Siegel wrote on Thursday.
The Leafs put eight skaters on the waiver wire today. One of those players is forward Steven Lorentz, which was a mildly shocking move to make during training camp.
Now that Leafs general manager John Chayka has seen the mobile defenseman in action through two preseason games, he will officially add him to the team.
Blankenburg’s journey to Toronto
Before being signed to a PTO this fall, Blankenburg primarily spent the last two seasons with the Nashville Predators.
He was traded to the Colorado Avalanche on March 4 for a 2027 fifth-round pick. Blankenburg skated in 12 regular-season games and five postseason contests for the Avalanche earlier this year.
While in Nashville, he made a strong impression after being scratched 10 times across the first dozen games. Across 17 games, he put up 11 points. This led all Predators D-men after he came into the lineup as a main piece Nashville could lean on.
“When I wasn’t playing for how many ever the first games, I kept telling myself I’ve been in this situation before. Whether it was being a walk-on at Michigan, and the same kind of thing happened in Columbus,” Blankenburg said last November.
“A big thing for me is my identity is not found in hockey or in a good game or bad game. It’s found in my relationship with Christ. I feel like that’s given me a lot of peace to go out there and play and let the rest take care of itself.”
Last November, Blankenburg was tied with Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Seth Jones for a league-best three power play goals scored by a defenseman.
The potential is there for Toronto to hit on the D-man just like Nashville did a few years ago.
When Roman Josi was out early last season, the Predators had Blankenburg play in the top-four with Nic Hague. He was even trotted out for the power play as well when the Predators were looking to move the puck quicker for opportunities.
Making his way to the NHL wasn’t easy
As the 5-foot-9 defenseman was chasing after the NHL, he had to pave his own path.
It started when he was playing high school hockey in Michigan. After he graduated, his head coach, Nick Badder, let him stay at his house so he could play for Victory Honda.
From there, Blankenburg went out west to play in the Alberta Junior Hockey League for the Okotoks Oilers, where he put up 42 points in 57 contests.
Fast forward: the University of Michigan found him in the AJHL, and the rest was history. Blankenburg walked on and earned a scholarship with the Wolverines. He was eventually named captain of the program in 2021.
The Columbus Blue Jackets came calling after his final season in college came to a close. He played 55 games for Columbus before taking off for Nashville.
Now his career continues into the 2026-27 season with the Maple Leafs.
Follow Nick Kieser on Twitter/X: @KieserNick
Toronto Expected to Sign Mobile Defenseman Nick Blankenburg: Report